1
00:00:16,849 --> 00:00:17,864
Thanks, man.

2
00:00:17,865 --> 00:00:20,654
I'm excited about being here.
We're going to have some fun.

3
00:00:20,655 --> 00:00:21,934
My name is Michael Jr.

4
00:00:21,935 --> 00:00:23,784
I'm going to do some jokes.

5
00:00:23,785 --> 00:00:25,968
(Laughter)

6
00:00:25,969 --> 00:00:28,149
(Applause)

7
00:00:28,417 --> 00:00:32,686
Yet, at the same time,
I’d like to explain to you how life

8
00:00:32,686 --> 00:00:35,292
well, how comedy works.

9
00:00:35,541 --> 00:00:36,987
So let's stop right here.

10
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I actually like the city of Reno a lot.

11
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I was here once...

12
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(Applause)

13
00:00:43,122 --> 00:00:44,237
I was here once;

14
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I was keynote speaking for a corporation

15
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and something really kind of strange
happened when I was here.

16
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Normally, I'm the type of person
I like to be on a stage alone.

17
00:00:53,104 --> 00:00:54,853
I don't need any help or anybody...

18
00:00:54,854 --> 00:00:58,823
So this CEO of this large company
introduces me, and he has the microphone,

19
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and normally, we have two different mics,
and he leaves, and then, I'm there.

20
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That's the plan.

21
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Dude stays there.

22
00:01:05,994 --> 00:01:07,572
(Laughter)

23
00:01:07,573 --> 00:01:10,303
I'm standing right next to him
with no mic.

24
00:01:10,304 --> 00:01:11,573
(Laughter)

25
00:01:11,574 --> 00:01:15,574
And then he looks at the audience,
and I'm standing there, and he says...

26
00:01:16,075 --> 00:01:17,535
First, let me explain this.

27
00:01:17,543 --> 00:01:20,598
I'm the type of comedian,
like, I'm observational.

28
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I pay attention to things
like college students.

29
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Take someone who goes to a nice school

30
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like the University
of Southern California.

31
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Ask them what school they go to,
you get a nice quick answer,

32
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- "What school you go to?"
- "USC."

33
00:01:31,304 --> 00:01:33,673
New York University -
you get a nice quick answer,

34
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- "What school you go to?"
- "NYU."

35
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Ask somebody who goes
to community college.

36
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You get a much longer
response, don't you?

37
00:01:39,634 --> 00:01:40,726
(Laughter)

38
00:01:40,727 --> 00:01:41,975
"What school you go to?"

39
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"Well, see, right now, what I'm doing,
I'm gonna get a couple credits, right?

40
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Then my financial aid
is supposed to come through.

41
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Then I'm gonna transfer, man.

42
00:01:50,556 --> 00:01:52,843
They say school kills creativity anyway.

43
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Man, I feel vulnerable.
Is Brené Brown around?

44
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Man, I feel very vulnerable right now."

45
00:01:57,529 --> 00:01:59,079
(Laughter)

46
00:02:02,266 --> 00:02:04,155
Let me tell you a little more about me.

47
00:02:04,156 --> 00:02:05,385
I love being a dad.

48
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And I have five kids, yeah.

49
00:02:07,256 --> 00:02:09,455
And I travel a lot

50
00:02:09,455 --> 00:02:10,930
so I can see them all.

51
00:02:10,931 --> 00:02:12,291
(Laughter)

52
00:02:15,602 --> 00:02:18,512
Ha, ha! I'm just playing.
I don't see them, I don't see them.

53
00:02:18,513 --> 00:02:20,182
(Laughter)

54
00:02:20,183 --> 00:02:22,692
No, I do. I have five kids.
They're all with me.

55
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I live in Dallas now.

56
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My kids are awesome.

57
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The thing about having a big family is

58
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you always have
to figure out ways to save money.

59
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We wanted to get
our family pictures taken,

60
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and that stuff was expensive.

61
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So what we did to save money was
we all got in the front seat of the car,

62
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looked both ways, and ran a red light.

63
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That's what we did.
That's what we did.

64
00:02:41,184 --> 00:02:43,224
(Laughter)

65
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Two weeks later,
the picture came in the mail.

66
00:02:45,493 --> 00:02:46,813
(Laughter)

67
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But my son blinked

68
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so we had to do it again,
we had to do it again.

69
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This stuff is crazy.

70
00:02:52,608 --> 00:02:54,727
(Laughter)

71
00:02:54,728 --> 00:02:57,068
I was doing that joke in prison recently.

72
00:02:57,948 --> 00:03:00,617
I wasn't in prison,
like, "Hey, I'm funny. Get off me!"

73
00:03:00,618 --> 00:03:01,947
It wasn't like that.

74
00:03:01,948 --> 00:03:03,283
(Laughter)

75
00:03:03,833 --> 00:03:07,592
Whenever we're doing a big live event
- like we're doing one tonight in Reno -

76
00:03:07,593 --> 00:03:10,502
whenever we do a large ticketed event,
a concert, in a city,

77
00:03:10,503 --> 00:03:14,186
we always look for a homeless shelter,
a prison, an abused children's facility

78
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to go to during the day to do comedy.

79
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So I'm so I'm doing a prison this time...

80
00:03:18,037 --> 00:03:19,056
(Applause)

81
00:03:19,057 --> 00:03:21,176
It's a TEDx talk,
I don't got that much time.

82
00:03:21,177 --> 00:03:22,678
You don't got to clap, it's OK.

83
00:03:22,679 --> 00:03:24,159
(Laughter)

84
00:03:25,929 --> 00:03:29,138
So we're doing this prison,
and I do the joke about the red light,

85
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and 75% of the prisoners laughed;

86
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the rest of them... nothing.

87
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Then I realized what was going on.

88
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Some of them had been locked up so long,

89
00:03:37,899 --> 00:03:40,229
the dude next to them
had to explain the joke.

90
00:03:40,667 --> 00:03:43,286
He was like, "See, nowadays,
when you run a red light,

91
00:03:43,287 --> 00:03:45,606
they send a picture
with the ticket in the mail."

92
00:03:45,607 --> 00:03:47,646
Then he looked at the dude next to him,

93
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"A red light is what they use for traffic
when you go down the road."

94
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(Laughter)

95
00:03:52,326 --> 00:03:54,875
And then he said,
"A road is what they use..."

96
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(Laughter)

97
00:03:55,961 --> 00:03:57,100
Wow!

98
00:03:57,101 --> 00:03:58,941
Where am I at right now, man?

99
00:04:00,133 --> 00:04:02,382
So I'd like to explain to you
how comedy works.

100
00:04:02,383 --> 00:04:05,652
This is how comedy works;
really all comedy.

101
00:04:05,653 --> 00:04:09,136
Any time you laugh, this formula
is taking place in one way or another,

102
00:04:09,137 --> 00:04:12,826
but specifically, with regards
to stand-up, this is how it works as well.

103
00:04:12,827 --> 00:04:16,298
First, there's a setup,
and then, there's a punchline.

104
00:04:16,298 --> 00:04:17,620
Let me explain.

105
00:04:17,620 --> 00:04:20,764
The setup is when a comedian
will use his talents and resources

106
00:04:20,765 --> 00:04:22,064
to seize any opportunity

107
00:04:22,065 --> 00:04:26,495
to ensure that you, the audience,
are moving in the same direction.

108
00:04:26,756 --> 00:04:29,185
The punchline occurs
when he changes that direction

109
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in a way you're not expecting.

110
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When you catch on to this change,
you've received the punchline.

111
00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:38,164
The results are revelation, fulfillment,
and joy expressed through laughter.

112
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(Laughter)

113
00:04:39,315 --> 00:04:40,715
Let me give you an example.

114
00:04:42,264 --> 00:04:46,435
A few summers ago, I took my family
on vacation to Mexico.

115
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The first two days were rough

116
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because the people there
kept calling me a "Negro."

117
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The third day, I realized
they were saying "amigo,"

118
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and it was all cool; that was cool, so...

119
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(Laughter)

120
00:05:01,296 --> 00:05:03,728
Did you see what just happened
right there?

121
00:05:03,729 --> 00:05:04,859
(Laughter)

122
00:05:07,781 --> 00:05:11,350
So when I was a child, I used
to struggle with my reading.

123
00:05:11,351 --> 00:05:13,860
I used to really have a hard time reading.

124
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I don't know, I just struggled with it.

125
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I read now just fine;

126
00:05:17,483 --> 00:05:20,823
like the signs over the door
that say 'exite, ' I can read that stuff.

127
00:05:20,824 --> 00:05:22,693
(Laughter)

128
00:05:22,694 --> 00:05:25,393
But when I was a kid,
I used to struggle with my reading.

129
00:05:25,394 --> 00:05:28,353
I couldn't sound a word out
phonetically, it just didn't work.

130
00:05:28,354 --> 00:05:32,743
So now, looking back at it, I realize
I developed seven different ways

131
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to look at a word
to determine what the word was.

132
00:05:35,114 --> 00:05:37,803
And I just started noticing this
really in junior high.

133
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So I would look at the font size,
the color, the positioning,

134
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what's in front of it, what's behind it,
how people responded to it.

135
00:05:43,914 --> 00:05:46,263
I got really good at
looking at words differently

136
00:05:46,264 --> 00:05:49,643
to the point in high school,
people didn't know I wasn't really reading

137
00:05:49,644 --> 00:05:51,843
I was just working it out
really, really fast.

138
00:05:51,844 --> 00:05:53,553
Now as an adult, I read just fine,

139
00:05:53,554 --> 00:05:57,473
but I still have this ability to look
at words, and people, and situations

140
00:05:57,474 --> 00:05:59,483
seven different ways almost immediately.

141
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In fact, it's the primary place
where I pull my comedy from.

142
00:06:03,386 --> 00:06:06,625
So that very thing from my past
that looked like it was a setback,

143
00:06:06,626 --> 00:06:08,825
looked like it was some sort of handicap,

144
00:06:09,035 --> 00:06:13,715
turns out I'm actually able to use it
for what I'm called to do now.

145
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So just like you, you've probably
had some sort of setbacks,

146
00:06:17,394 --> 00:06:19,533
but if you, in a way, would embrace it,

147
00:06:19,534 --> 00:06:22,343
you'll probably find there's
more opportunities out there.

148
00:06:22,344 --> 00:06:24,236
Now I find comedy all over the place.

149
00:06:24,237 --> 00:06:25,246
At the airport today:

150
00:06:25,247 --> 00:06:27,946
little white kid walked up to me,
asked for an autograph.

151
00:06:27,947 --> 00:06:31,036
I was like, "Hey buddy, what's your name?"
He said, "I'm Tanner."

152
00:06:31,037 --> 00:06:33,093
I looked at him, I said, "No, you're not."

153
00:06:33,094 --> 00:06:34,544
(Laughter)

154
00:06:39,302 --> 00:06:40,571
His mom was cracking up.

155
00:06:40,572 --> 00:06:41,901
He was like, "I am Tanner!"

156
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(Laughter)

157
00:06:43,538 --> 00:06:45,607
"No. Trust me. You're not."

158
00:06:45,608 --> 00:06:46,688
(Laughter)

159
00:06:49,601 --> 00:06:52,510
Or I'll notice stuff; I saw this dude
with a muscle shirt on.

160
00:06:52,511 --> 00:06:55,450
You ever see a dude
with a muscle shirt, like a white tank,

161
00:06:55,451 --> 00:06:57,000
but he ain't got no muscles?

162
00:06:57,001 --> 00:06:58,051
(Laughter)

163
00:06:58,052 --> 00:07:00,111
What is that? A wife threatener?

164
00:07:00,112 --> 00:07:01,302
(Laughter)

165
00:07:04,065 --> 00:07:06,314
Depending on
where you're from in the country,

166
00:07:06,315 --> 00:07:08,054
you'll understand that joke better.

167
00:07:08,055 --> 00:07:09,920
(Laughter)

168
00:07:09,921 --> 00:07:11,880
And his friend had on a shirt that said,

169
00:07:11,881 --> 00:07:14,540
"If you don't speak English,
leave the country."

170
00:07:14,541 --> 00:07:18,370
Hmm... but it was written
in English. So...

171
00:07:18,371 --> 00:07:19,701
(Laughter)

172
00:07:24,730 --> 00:07:27,079
So I walked up to him,
and I said, "You're dumb!"

173
00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:28,212
(Laughter)

174
00:07:28,213 --> 00:07:30,922
But I said it in Spanish though
so he wouldn't know...

175
00:07:30,923 --> 00:07:32,373
(Laughter)

176
00:07:34,141 --> 00:07:36,810
So I'm able to find comedy
in a bunch of different places

177
00:07:36,811 --> 00:07:40,380
as a result of embracing what seemed
like it was a handicap from my past.

178
00:07:40,381 --> 00:07:42,320
I notice even what people say sometimes.

179
00:07:42,321 --> 00:07:43,810
Have you ever heard the phrase,

180
00:07:43,811 --> 00:07:46,362
"Boy, I wish I could've been
a fly on the wall"?

181
00:07:46,363 --> 00:07:49,167
Every time I hear that,
I walk up to the person, and I say,

182
00:07:49,168 --> 00:07:50,457
"And then what?"

183
00:07:50,458 --> 00:07:51,597
(Laughter)

184
00:07:51,598 --> 00:07:52,758
No, no, no, no.

185
00:07:52,759 --> 00:07:54,288
You want to be a fly on the wall

186
00:07:54,289 --> 00:07:56,908
so you could hear the information
that was in the room.

187
00:07:56,909 --> 00:07:58,348
Well, I've done the research.

188
00:07:58,349 --> 00:07:59,798
Hmm... Flies don't have ears.

189
00:07:59,799 --> 00:08:00,821
(Laughter)

190
00:08:00,822 --> 00:08:01,841
Yeah.

191
00:08:01,842 --> 00:08:04,241
You would be just as ignorant
as you currently are

192
00:08:04,242 --> 00:08:05,462
(Laughter)

193
00:08:06,372 --> 00:08:07,861
but you would be a fly.

194
00:08:07,862 --> 00:08:09,141
(Laughter)

195
00:08:10,171 --> 00:08:12,050
Nobody even listens to a fly.

196
00:08:12,051 --> 00:08:13,093
(Laughter)

197
00:08:13,094 --> 00:08:15,646
I mean, let's say you're
a fly that could read lips.

198
00:08:15,647 --> 00:08:17,836
What are you going to do
with the information?

199
00:08:17,837 --> 00:08:18,990
(Laughter)

200
00:08:18,991 --> 00:08:20,590
And you've got two days to live.

201
00:08:20,591 --> 00:08:21,790
(Laughter)

202
00:08:21,791 --> 00:08:23,392
You're making bad choices.

203
00:08:23,393 --> 00:08:24,713
(Laughter)

204
00:08:27,209 --> 00:08:29,078
Or people will say stuff to me like,

205
00:08:29,079 --> 00:08:31,129
"Michael Jr., where you from originally?"

206
00:08:31,130 --> 00:08:34,659
I'm like, "Originally? Huh.
Well, I was conceived in Michigan."

207
00:08:34,660 --> 00:08:36,039
(Laughter)

208
00:08:36,041 --> 00:08:37,620
"Before that, I was in my dad."

209
00:08:37,621 --> 00:08:38,711
(Laughter)

210
00:08:38,712 --> 00:08:39,740
Yeah.

211
00:08:39,741 --> 00:08:40,962
(Laughter)

212
00:08:42,062 --> 00:08:44,350
"And then, there was
a swim competition," right?

213
00:08:44,351 --> 00:08:45,561
(Laughter)

214
00:08:46,751 --> 00:08:48,570
"And I won, which is crazy"

215
00:08:48,571 --> 00:08:49,785
(Laughter)

216
00:08:49,786 --> 00:08:51,776
"because currently, I don't swim at all."

217
00:08:51,777 --> 00:08:53,027
(Laughter)

218
00:08:54,367 --> 00:08:56,464
I used to be pretty good
though, apparently.

219
00:08:56,465 --> 00:08:57,595
(Laughter)

220
00:08:58,515 --> 00:08:59,914
I am not politically correct.

221
00:08:59,915 --> 00:09:03,374
I'm just going to tell: I know
I do comedy, but it's just too much work.

222
00:09:03,375 --> 00:09:04,474
I'm just telling you.

223
00:09:04,475 --> 00:09:06,824
You have to watch the news
and know the language.

224
00:09:06,825 --> 00:09:10,294
If you put the right stuff in your heart,
the right stuff will come out.

225
00:09:10,295 --> 00:09:12,934
So I never tried,
I never try to be politically correct.

226
00:09:12,935 --> 00:09:13,994
Some people work hard.

227
00:09:13,995 --> 00:09:17,114
I'm at a coffee shop; a white guy
in front of me orders a coffee.

228
00:09:17,115 --> 00:09:19,714
The lady in front of him
is like, "How do you want it?"

229
00:09:19,715 --> 00:09:22,854
He looked back at me and was like,
"Um, African-American please."

230
00:09:22,855 --> 00:09:24,265
(Laughter)

231
00:09:27,100 --> 00:09:29,449
I was like, "Cool.
Let me get the Caucasian Mocha.

232
00:09:29,450 --> 00:09:31,129
Let me get that if I could...

233
00:09:31,130 --> 00:09:32,989
just get the Caucasian Mocha, I guess.

234
00:09:32,990 --> 00:09:35,029
I'm trying to learn, I'm trying to learn."

235
00:09:35,030 --> 00:09:36,340
(Laughter)

236
00:09:39,785 --> 00:09:41,694
Coaches would say some stuff too.

237
00:09:41,695 --> 00:09:43,697
Ever hear your coach say something like,

238
00:09:43,698 --> 00:09:46,570
"The stuff I'm teaching here,
it's not just about this game,

239
00:09:46,571 --> 00:09:48,084
You could apply it to life."

240
00:09:48,085 --> 00:09:50,771
Here's the thing, people:
that's not true.

241
00:09:51,751 --> 00:09:52,800
I thought it was true.

242
00:09:52,801 --> 00:09:54,190
Straight out of high school,

243
00:09:54,191 --> 00:09:56,430
one of my first jobs was...
I used to park cars.

244
00:09:56,431 --> 00:09:59,621
One of the cars was really nice
so I took it for a little spin.

245
00:09:59,812 --> 00:10:02,291
The company found out,
and my boss lost the account.

246
00:10:02,292 --> 00:10:04,011
He was yelling at me and screaming

247
00:10:04,012 --> 00:10:05,611
I didn't know what to say or do.

248
00:10:05,612 --> 00:10:07,933
I thought back
to my high school football coach.

249
00:10:07,934 --> 00:10:11,314
I looked at my boss, and I was like,
"You know what, man?

250
00:10:12,161 --> 00:10:14,055
You win some, you lose some, man."

251
00:10:14,056 --> 00:10:15,546
(Laughter)

252
00:10:16,516 --> 00:10:18,725
"You can't let this one loss
get you down."

253
00:10:18,726 --> 00:10:19,998
(Laughter)

254
00:10:19,999 --> 00:10:22,908
"The important thing is
I went out there, and I had fun.”

255
00:10:22,909 --> 00:10:24,709
(Laughter)

256
00:10:25,560 --> 00:10:26,950
(Applause)

257
00:10:28,072 --> 00:10:30,401
Then I got fired, man.
I got fired right away.

258
00:10:30,402 --> 00:10:31,592
(Laughter)

259
00:10:33,629 --> 00:10:35,678
Actually, I do play some basketball.

260
00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:38,252
I didn't want to perpetuate
stereotypes, but it's true.

261
00:10:38,253 --> 00:10:39,752
(Laughter)

262
00:10:39,753 --> 00:10:42,142
But in basketball,
you're supposed to run and jump.

263
00:10:42,143 --> 00:10:44,432
I don't really feel like
doing both all the time.

264
00:10:44,433 --> 00:10:46,883
So some friends recently
took me ball hunting.

265
00:10:47,782 --> 00:10:49,921
Some people call it golf or whatever.

266
00:10:49,922 --> 00:10:51,142
(Laughter)

267
00:10:55,359 --> 00:10:56,518
I shot a 121.

268
00:10:56,519 --> 00:10:58,178
That’s what I shot, a 121;

269
00:10:58,179 --> 00:10:59,248
and then we had lunch.

270
00:10:59,249 --> 00:11:02,328
And it was like, "Hey. We're gonna do
the other nine holes now."

271
00:11:02,329 --> 00:11:04,228
(Laughter)

272
00:11:04,229 --> 00:11:07,258
I said, "I'm not going back
out there, I'm not going."

273
00:11:07,259 --> 00:11:08,998
Because they lied to get me to go.

274
00:11:08,999 --> 00:11:10,938
They’re like, "The greens are awesome.”

275
00:11:10,939 --> 00:11:13,408
I was like, "Cool,"
I showed up with some cornbread.

276
00:11:13,409 --> 00:11:14,708
I was like, "All right ..."

277
00:11:14,709 --> 00:11:16,017
(Laughter)

278
00:11:16,817 --> 00:11:18,966
I don’t know how to say
cornbread in German.

279
00:11:18,967 --> 00:11:19,967
I'm sorry.

280
00:11:20,556 --> 00:11:22,227
I just did that just for Germany.

281
00:11:22,328 --> 00:11:24,048
I've never really been there before.

282
00:11:25,068 --> 00:11:26,797
I do think working out is important.

283
00:11:26,798 --> 00:11:28,718
I was at the gym the other month.

284
00:11:30,187 --> 00:11:32,086
I was going to do some cardio, right?

285
00:11:32,087 --> 00:11:33,446
But they moved it upstairs.

286
00:11:33,447 --> 00:11:35,206
I ain't going up there, man, please.

287
00:11:35,207 --> 00:11:36,806
(Laughter)

288
00:11:36,807 --> 00:11:39,153
And I get recognized at the gym.
I got recognized.

289
00:11:39,154 --> 00:11:41,553
I'm working out,
this lady was like: (Gasping).

290
00:11:41,554 --> 00:11:42,703
I said, "How you doing?"

291
00:11:42,704 --> 00:11:46,223
She said, "You don't understand
Michael Jr.! You're my favorite comedian.

292
00:11:46,224 --> 00:11:48,283
Every time I see you,
I laugh my butt off."

293
00:11:48,284 --> 00:11:49,964
I was like, "Uh... Keep laughing!"

294
00:11:50,731 --> 00:11:52,190
Keep laughing."

295
00:11:52,191 --> 00:11:53,411
(Laughter)

296
00:11:58,849 --> 00:12:00,538
So there's a club in Los Angeles.

297
00:12:00,539 --> 00:12:03,348
When I moved to Los Angeles,
and I was brand new in comedy,

298
00:12:03,349 --> 00:12:06,579
there's a club there that it's
like the best club in the country.

299
00:12:06,629 --> 00:12:09,618
It's called the "Comedy and Magic Club."
It's in Hermosa Beach.

300
00:12:09,619 --> 00:12:12,268
This club is extremely hard
for a comedian to get into.

301
00:12:12,269 --> 00:12:14,099
The way I got into this club is

302
00:12:14,105 --> 00:12:16,964
a guy named George Wallace
saw me when I lived in New York.

303
00:12:16,965 --> 00:12:18,439
He knew I was funny and clean

304
00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:21,849
so when I moved to Los Angeles,
he took me to the Comedy and Magic Club.

305
00:12:21,850 --> 00:12:25,129
Now he couldn't get me on stage,
it's way too prestigious of a club.

306
00:12:25,130 --> 00:12:26,609
They have to know who you are.

307
00:12:26,610 --> 00:12:28,396
So he got me into the green room.

308
00:12:28,564 --> 00:12:31,443
I'm in the green room
and suddenly, brand new in town,

309
00:12:31,444 --> 00:12:34,413
and I find myself in a green room
with some soldiers in comedy.

310
00:12:34,414 --> 00:12:37,673
There's George Wallace,
Garry Shandling, Jay Leno.

311
00:12:37,674 --> 00:12:39,113
I'm brand new in town.

312
00:12:39,114 --> 00:12:42,429
And at the time, a football player
got hit in the eye with a flag,

313
00:12:42,430 --> 00:12:44,229
and he lost his vision in one eye,

314
00:12:44,230 --> 00:12:46,729
and he was suing the league
for 400 million dollars.

315
00:12:46,730 --> 00:12:49,629
Now, all of these guys are helping
Leno on that joke subject

316
00:12:49,630 --> 00:12:52,096
for the monologue
for "The Tonight Show" on NBC.

317
00:12:52,097 --> 00:12:54,016
I ain't saying nothing.

318
00:12:54,017 --> 00:12:57,764
I'm just happy to be in the room
sharing french fries with these dudes.

319
00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:00,280
But your gift will make room for you.

320
00:13:00,293 --> 00:13:02,682
So then, they got quiet,
and they all looked at me,

321
00:13:02,683 --> 00:13:04,582
and I'm thinking, "Oh, snap!

322
00:13:04,583 --> 00:13:06,103
This is an opportunity."

323
00:13:06,104 --> 00:13:08,053
I said, "Let's see if I got this right.

324
00:13:08,054 --> 00:13:11,103
He got hit in the eye with a flag,
he lost his vision in one eye,

325
00:13:11,104 --> 00:13:13,604
and he's suing the league
for 400 million dollars.

326
00:13:14,462 --> 00:13:16,392
He’s not gonna see half of it."

327
00:13:16,402 --> 00:13:17,682
(Laughter)

328
00:13:24,713 --> 00:13:25,713
Like, for real.

329
00:13:25,714 --> 00:13:26,755
(Laughter)

330
00:13:27,485 --> 00:13:28,555
So here's the thing:

331
00:13:28,556 --> 00:13:31,514
how did I get that joke that fast
under that much pressure?

332
00:13:31,515 --> 00:13:34,323
The truth is it wasn't
as much pressure as you might think

333
00:13:34,324 --> 00:13:36,613
because I'd been practicing
since I was a child

334
00:13:36,614 --> 00:13:39,323
in the form of a kid
who was having a hard time reading.

335
00:13:39,324 --> 00:13:41,663
I was practicing just like
you've been practicing;

336
00:13:41,664 --> 00:13:43,703
you just didn't know you were practicing.

337
00:13:43,704 --> 00:13:45,963
I'm here to let you know
you've been practicing.

338
00:13:45,964 --> 00:13:47,964
And for a lot of you, guys,
it's game time.

339
00:13:48,313 --> 00:13:49,832
It's game time.

340
00:13:49,833 --> 00:13:53,649
So now, I'm in the club;
and I'm performing there.

341
00:13:53,915 --> 00:13:56,244
This is probably
like seven, eight years ago.

342
00:13:56,245 --> 00:13:57,614
I'm headlining at the club,

343
00:13:57,615 --> 00:13:59,174
and right before I got on stage,

344
00:13:59,175 --> 00:14:01,274
I had a change in mindset about comedy.

345
00:14:01,275 --> 00:14:03,475
Most of the time
when a comedian gets onstage,

346
00:14:03,492 --> 00:14:05,197
he wants to get laughs from people.

347
00:14:05,198 --> 00:14:06,927
And I felt a shift take place:

348
00:14:06,928 --> 00:14:09,497
Instead of going up there
to get laughs from people,

349
00:14:09,498 --> 00:14:12,537
I felt like I was supposed
to give them an opportunity to laugh.

350
00:14:12,538 --> 00:14:14,727
I did a little prayer,
and I clearly felt like

351
00:14:14,728 --> 00:14:16,969
I was supposed to give
an opportunity to laugh.

352
00:14:16,970 --> 00:14:18,229
This changed everything.

353
00:14:18,230 --> 00:14:19,989
Because now I'm not looking to take;

354
00:14:19,990 --> 00:14:22,169
I'm simply looking for
an opportunity to give.

355
00:14:22,170 --> 00:14:24,829
This is why we go to homeless shelters
and these places.

356
00:14:24,830 --> 00:14:27,149
In fact, that very night
when I leave the stage,

357
00:14:27,150 --> 00:14:28,939
I'm outside, people want autographs,

358
00:14:28,940 --> 00:14:30,859
we're hanging out taking pictures,

359
00:14:30,860 --> 00:14:34,199
and I look across the street,
and I saw a homeless guy.

360
00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:37,990
I had never seen a homeless guy
outside this club before ever.

361
00:14:38,271 --> 00:14:40,470
But that doesn't mean
he wasn't there before.

362
00:14:40,471 --> 00:14:44,900
That just means before,
my mindset was to get laughs from people,

363
00:14:44,901 --> 00:14:46,461
so why would I even notice him?

364
00:14:46,634 --> 00:14:49,383
But now I changed my mindset,
and I see this homeless guy,

365
00:14:49,384 --> 00:14:51,376
and I have the thought, "What about him?

366
00:14:51,377 --> 00:14:53,593
How could I give him
an opportunity to laugh?"

367
00:14:53,594 --> 00:14:56,503
And that's when we started doing
homeless shelters and prisons

368
00:14:56,504 --> 00:15:00,504
and making laughter commonplace
in non-common places.

369
00:15:01,389 --> 00:15:03,869
So now, as a result of doing that,

370
00:15:05,553 --> 00:15:08,393
we went to this one place,
we went to Montrose, Colorado.

371
00:15:09,261 --> 00:15:12,928
It's an abuse facility for children
who were being abused by their parents.

372
00:15:12,929 --> 00:15:14,678
And I'm hearing all these stories,

373
00:15:14,679 --> 00:15:16,918
and this grandmother told us
about her grandson

374
00:15:16,919 --> 00:15:20,018
who was so afraid of his mom
who's on drugs and been abusing him.

375
00:15:20,019 --> 00:15:23,418
One of the things she's been doing
is she was pulling out his toenails.

376
00:15:23,419 --> 00:15:24,680
So I hear this story,

377
00:15:24,999 --> 00:15:27,428
and they bring all these kids inside.

378
00:15:27,429 --> 00:15:29,058
And Spiderman is sitting right up.

379
00:15:29,059 --> 00:15:30,988
This little boy is so afraid of his mom,

380
00:15:30,989 --> 00:15:33,275
everywhere he goes,
he wears a Spiderman costume.

381
00:15:33,371 --> 00:15:35,390
He's sitting right up front at the show.

382
00:15:35,391 --> 00:15:38,109
If my mindset was still
to get laughs from people,

383
00:15:38,110 --> 00:15:40,509
there's no way I would've been able
to do the show.

384
00:15:40,510 --> 00:15:42,750
But my mindset changed;

385
00:15:43,220 --> 00:15:45,660
so now, I have to do the show.

386
00:15:46,023 --> 00:15:47,312
So I get up on stage,

387
00:15:47,313 --> 00:15:49,712
and people start laughing
slowly but surely.

388
00:15:49,713 --> 00:15:52,512
Twenty minutes in it,
I hear a voice come from right here,

389
00:15:52,513 --> 00:15:54,672
and the voice says, "My name is Ronan.”

390
00:15:54,673 --> 00:15:56,592
And this little boy pulls off his mask,

391
00:15:56,593 --> 00:15:58,693
introduces himself to me.

392
00:15:59,363 --> 00:16:01,653
And I can't even tell you
what it meant to me.

393
00:16:01,696 --> 00:16:03,965
He started talking to me
for like nine minutes,

394
00:16:03,966 --> 00:16:06,205
like I wasn't doing
a comedy show at the time.

395
00:16:06,206 --> 00:16:07,863
(Laughter)

396
00:16:07,933 --> 00:16:10,113
But it was all because I made this shift.

397
00:16:11,171 --> 00:16:12,550
I made this change,

398
00:16:12,551 --> 00:16:13,680
and I say it simply.

399
00:16:13,681 --> 00:16:14,970
Instead of trying to get,

400
00:16:14,971 --> 00:16:17,450
I'm going to see if there's
an opportunity to give.

401
00:16:17,451 --> 00:16:19,000
If you can make this adjustment,

402
00:16:19,001 --> 00:16:20,860
it will change your life for the good.

403
00:16:20,861 --> 00:16:21,930
If you're a mechanic,

404
00:16:21,931 --> 00:16:24,050
you may think
you get paid to fix vehicles.

405
00:16:24,051 --> 00:16:25,540
But if you can make this shift,

406
00:16:25,541 --> 00:16:29,150
you will recognize you help people
reach their desired destination.

407
00:16:29,151 --> 00:16:32,061
That will put your alarm clock
out of business.

408
00:16:32,528 --> 00:16:33,567
My senses are

409
00:16:33,568 --> 00:16:36,668
there's a lot of people out there
still hitting the snooze button.

410
00:16:37,491 --> 00:16:38,740
Before I bounce

411
00:16:38,741 --> 00:16:40,770
- bounce means to vacate the premises -

412
00:16:40,771 --> 00:16:42,010
(Laughter)

413
00:16:42,011 --> 00:16:44,181
I’d like to explain to you how life works,

414
00:16:44,531 --> 00:16:46,871
at least from a comedian’s perspective.

415
00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:49,330
First, there's a setup,

416
00:16:50,285 --> 00:16:51,944
and then there's a punchline.

417
00:16:51,945 --> 00:16:55,434
Your setup is your talents,
your resources, and your opportunities.

418
00:16:55,435 --> 00:16:57,444
And most of the time, we use our setup

419
00:16:57,445 --> 00:17:02,274
to ensure that the people around us
are moving in a direction that serves us.

420
00:17:02,275 --> 00:17:03,864
Which means the punchline occurs

421
00:17:03,865 --> 00:17:06,904
when you change that direction
in a way they're not expecting.

422
00:17:06,905 --> 00:17:09,834
You actually use your setup
for other people.

423
00:17:09,835 --> 00:17:13,444
The results are the same, yet multiply:
revelation, fulfillment, and joy.

424
00:17:13,444 --> 00:17:16,394
But it's not just for the one
receiving your punch line;

425
00:17:16,395 --> 00:17:19,565
it is absolutely for you
as you deliver the punch line.

426
00:17:20,618 --> 00:17:23,877
In fact, if I ask the question
to everyone here, everyone watching,

427
00:17:23,878 --> 00:17:25,679
if I ask you this question,

428
00:17:26,698 --> 00:17:29,548
"How many people here
know what your setup is?"

429
00:17:30,347 --> 00:17:32,347
Every one of you would be able to tell me.

430
00:17:32,430 --> 00:17:35,399
Because your setup is the fact
that you have a house, a car,

431
00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:37,309
you've been married, you went to school.

432
00:17:37,310 --> 00:17:39,283
Your setup is about what you've received.

433
00:17:39,284 --> 00:17:43,444
But what if I asked the question,
"What is your punchline?”

434
00:17:44,314 --> 00:17:48,203
Because your punchline is about
what you’re called to deliver.

435
00:17:48,204 --> 00:17:50,933
And if you only know your setup
and not your punchline,

436
00:17:50,934 --> 00:17:54,743
you'll make the mistake
of trying to add more setup.

437
00:17:54,744 --> 00:17:56,783
"If I could just get another degree,"

438
00:17:56,784 --> 00:17:58,323
"if I could just get married,"

439
00:17:58,324 --> 00:17:59,823
"if I could just lose weight,"

440
00:17:59,824 --> 00:18:03,294
but what you really need
is to know your punchline.

441
00:18:04,547 --> 00:18:06,846
Because to know your setup
and not your punchline

442
00:18:06,847 --> 00:18:08,537
is an uncomfortable place to live.

443
00:18:08,962 --> 00:18:10,712
Let me give you an example.

444
00:18:11,059 --> 00:18:15,209
How many people are still thinking about
the story of me and the CEO on stage?

445
00:18:17,159 --> 00:18:19,978
The reason all you guys are
still thinking about that story

446
00:18:19,979 --> 00:18:22,079
is because all you have is the setup;

447
00:18:23,115 --> 00:18:24,984
you don't have the punchline.

448
00:18:24,985 --> 00:18:26,605
Yet, we've moved on

449
00:18:27,035 --> 00:18:29,695
and allowed ourselves to be entertained

450
00:18:30,605 --> 00:18:33,414
like there wasn't something missing.

451
00:18:33,415 --> 00:18:37,414
So we'll go to a comedy show,
or a football game, or a concert

452
00:18:37,415 --> 00:18:40,105
even though there's something missing.

453
00:18:40,475 --> 00:18:43,295
And that's just the story
I told you ten minutes ago.

454
00:18:43,745 --> 00:18:45,635
What about your story?

455
00:18:46,273 --> 00:18:50,083
You've been living it your entire life,
and if all you know is the setup,

456
00:18:50,221 --> 00:18:51,490
and not the punchline,

457
00:18:51,491 --> 00:18:53,626
you’re living in an uncomfortable place.

458
00:18:53,627 --> 00:18:54,796
And please be clear.

459
00:18:54,797 --> 00:18:57,226
Just like when I had
a hard time reading as a child,

460
00:18:57,227 --> 00:18:59,496
your setbacks are part of your setup

461
00:18:59,497 --> 00:19:02,301
so you can deliver the punchline
you’re called to deliver.

462
00:19:02,936 --> 00:19:06,006
Much like a slingshot,
the further you've been set back,

463
00:19:06,489 --> 00:19:08,699
the further you're going to reach.

464
00:19:09,665 --> 00:19:11,345
But what are you going to aim for?

465
00:19:12,859 --> 00:19:15,107
Everyone has a setup,

466
00:19:15,617 --> 00:19:17,497
and everyone has a punchline.

467
00:19:18,477 --> 00:19:20,307
You need to find your punchline

468
00:19:20,936 --> 00:19:21,936
and deliver it.

469
00:19:22,316 --> 00:19:23,425
I'm Michael Jr.

470
00:19:23,426 --> 00:19:24,485
I love you.

471
00:19:24,486 --> 00:19:25,645
(Applause)

472
00:19:25,646 --> 00:19:26,755
Thank you guys.

473
00:19:26,756 --> 00:19:28,007
Aw, you guys are awesome.

474
00:19:28,008 --> 00:19:29,017
Standing ovation!

475
00:19:29,018 --> 00:19:30,067
Thank you so much.

476
00:19:30,068 --> 00:19:31,118
Thank you, thank you!

477
00:19:31,119 --> 00:19:33,378
(Applause)

478
00:19:33,379 --> 00:19:34,693
Get up, dude! You too!

479
00:19:34,694 --> 00:19:35,750
I'm just playing.

480
00:19:35,751 --> 00:19:36,773
Thank you.

481
00:19:36,774 --> 00:19:38,346
(Applause)